Dwarf
Dwarves are among the best miners and smiths across the world. Dwarven cities are typically the largest suppliers of the world's metal supplies, anything from the mundane up to the precious metals and even the metals that come from other worlds and accumulate in the deep craters created by their fall to the ground. Due to the wealth of various materials that the dwarves seem to have an unnatural sense for and a typical lack for magical aptitude, this has led them to move into equipment advancements mostly incorporated into their smith works, making highly valuable armor and weaponry. Dwarf Lands A number of dwarven kingdoms exist across the four continents where the dwarves have taken to creating large subterranean cities and strongholds. Due to the dwarves unique stature many of their structures are hard to navigate for the taller races and especially when the dwarves muster to defense. In addition to their kingdoms on the four, the dwarves have set up a colonial presence on Eumersia in the northeast corner of the continent. There the dwarves have set up the colony of Argadatium, a small mining settlement that doubles as the dwarves trading post in the region. Dwarven Sub-Races Dwarves that are born on the four major continents are effected by the planar connection that the land posses. This causes the dwarves of that continent to sport the same kinds off mutations to allow them to resist the environments that they live in. Paclethea The dwarves that are born in Paclethea tend to lose traits that their parents would have from the continents, totally looking indifferent from one another in two or three generations. The fact that these dwarves are the product of birth outside of the influence of the elemental leaks on the major continents, and the fact that all the races diverge into this form of dwarf has had sages believe that these dwarves are the baseline ancestor for all other dwarven sub-races. Females and males are very similar in stature without too much deviation when it comes to height and weight. Males tend to take pride in their beards and keep them well groomed and will decorate them hair clips and pins when they feel the need to dress up. Young females do not typically grow beards on their own but will groom their hair in a similar manner as the males beard on special occasions. Older females are more prone to develop facial hair, but those individuals tend to remove them when they become noticeable. Many of the dwarves on Paclethea tend to work with the Fleet Masons who make good use of their natural affinity for construction and mining. Dwarves with a more martial penchant are drawn to the Pacificators or the Gavaleers if they are religiously inclined. It's rare for a dwarf to join the other guilds, preferring to operate guildless then to work in areas that work against their natural tendencies, but it's not entirely unheard of. Mason Dwarves are known primarily to be able to delivery exquisite and proficiently made stonework and some of the finest stone based constructs used as home and business security are sculpted by Mason Dwarves then animated by the Helix League. Friginsul Dwarves born in the frozen continent of Friginsul are well adapted to the cold environment, with dark skin tones to absorb more heat from the sun. Carver Dwarves are an especially hairy, sometimes being covered in their transparent hair giving them the ability to blend into the snowy environment. One distinction that sets the Carvers apart from other dwarves, although heavier then the other sub-races, the Carver Dwarves are more buoyant and thus it makes it easier for them to swim encouraging them to work their craft into ship building and sailing.Carver Dwarves can grow hair all over their bodies except on the softer parts of the hands and feet. Those Carvers that migrate to hotter environments keep their hair shaved off to prevent overheating in the hotter climates, but what hair they decide to keep they will groom into intricate braids or shave and sculpt significant designs into their beards and various body hair. Females, to look similar to their warmer originating cousins, will shave their facial and body hair as well, but they will work their heads of hair into similar pieces of artwork as the males, and sometimes making them even more extravagant with moving parts or magical illusions. Most of the Carvers are miners and craftsmen like their cousins able to adequately work and form stone and metal, but where they shine is their ability to utilize the abundant ice that can be found on Friginsul as though it were metal. From the ice Carver Dwarves can craft fine blades, armor, construct buildings, and even create naval vessels. one of their greatest discoveries has been Pykrete, a mixture of wood pulp and ice that has increased durability compared to pure ice. When a Carver Dwarf comes to Paclethea they tend to migrate into service with the Pacificators' naval forces. When reaching a position of command, Carver Dwarves will lead crews that consist primarily if not entirely of other dwarves which many of are fellow Carvers. If this path is not one they wish to follow, others will work the Gavaleers or loosely connected to the Circle Salvage for funerary needs of the city. Otherwise Carvers will set up shop as a craftsman or work on various types of jobs related to boats. Ignathalam Dwarves born in the volcanic active lands of Ignathalam have been born with various adaptations to help them survive the harsh terrains of the continent. Forge Dwarves are born with a coppery or bronze skin that can develop a reflective sheen to deflect the harsh rays of the sun to help regulate their body temperatures. This luster can sometimes give areas of the dwarf's body a mirror like effect. Forge Dwarves are mostly hairless except for cranial and facial hair, and even these are typically trimmed or shaved to regulate their temperatures, if one is to see a beardless dwarf they are most likely Forge Dwarves or descendants from this sub-race. Females do not grow facial hair. Forge Dwarves like to express themselves artistically wherever they can and this led them to start drawing on their bodies through the art of tattooing, and this has led to them learning the art of magical tattoos.Forge Dwarves work as miners and craftsmen, focusing on working with precious metals crafting very fine jewelry and making alloys to strengthening softer precious metals to hold an edge or deflect blows thus creating the most expensive and beautiful weapons and armor. Working with the gnomes and goblins of the area, the Forge Dwarves help create sturdy and artistic housing for the explosive weaponry and vehicles that those races create. The one secret that they hold close to the chest is the process of creating Glassteel, a material that is light and clear as glass but functions as though it's metal. When immigrating to Paclethea, Forge Dwarves will set themselves up as freelancers avoiding guild work. Although this typical, some of these dwarves will work in the Walking Truth to further their artistic expression and have support to continue their aspirations. Forge Dwarves living in Paclethea are the sub-race most prone to become hedonistic and taking to excess at the expense of their health, livelihood, and freedom. Insoclast The continent of Insoclast provides its own problems that the inhabitants have to deal with. Due to the various clouds of gas that surround and cover the floating islands, many races including the Scooper Dwarves have a paler complexion, missing out on normal exposure to the sun. They also have become noticeably taller and lighter then their cousins around the world, all though they still appear relatively stocky when compared to other races from their continent. This gives allows the Scooper Dwarves to move easier and react to the ever shifting landscape of their home. Their hair has transitiioned into the blonde spectrum, With their blonde hair, the dwarves strive to maintain long but thin hair and beard styles to more easily control them in stressful situations, or to let them flow in the air when isle hopping for fun. Females grow soft tufts of hair on the bottoms of their chins. The dwarves natural tendency for metal artwork has led many to create body piercings. These piercings can have a double use as currency between the Scooper Dwarves depending on materials and craftsmanship of the piercings. The Scooper Dwarves, like the rest of the dwarves, took to the mines to extract valuable resources from the chunks of land that are suspended in the air. But the Scoopers have also established means of collecting valuable gases from the dense clouds that form in between the islands. These gases can be refined into fuels for experimental vehicles or for alchemical purposes. With the solid materials they mine from the sky islands, these dwarves craft airships and the equipment they need to move around, which leads them to design tools with multiple purposes to lower the weight they have to carry with them. The Scooper dwarves that can be found in Paclethea generally work closely with the Helix League to design airships in the Airship District, and obtaining resources from their homeland to fuel their designs as well as help support the alchemist community within the city. After the League, the Scoopers that get involved with the guilds follow the Walking Truth as they see the bardic lifestyle one that combines creativity and a desire to collect knowledge in a way to pay tribute to their patron. Ordin The largest continent is the easiest of the four great continents to live on dealing only periodically with tectonic shifts and earthquakes. The Chiseler Dwarves are the closest in appearance to Mason Dwarves, the only things that really set them apart are the growths of stone that form and grow with a dwarf over their lifetime, some of the oldest dwarves have growths that make them look like Stone Statues. Chiseler Dwarves hair and beards are taken care of but are only of importance to the dwarf if another individual has damaged it. Females do not tend to grow beards until later in their lives and only in similar proportions to human women. These dwarves are known to decorate themselves with fine gemstones either woven into their hair or wedged into the stones of their body. It has also become popular to plant a small piece of vegetation somewhere on their stone growths. Chiseler Dwarves are the masters of mining and quarrying in the world. They are quick and efficient in designing and excavating mining systems and quarries and have an almost unnatural sense to locate valuable minerals, metals or harvestable stone. With the access to these materials the Chiselers have become adept at crafting metal and stone armor and weapons, preferring strength and durability over artistic design. Due to the surface area of their home continent the Chiseler Dwarves have an easier time then the other dwarves of locating sky metals. Their ability to locate valuable metals has also allowed them to discover the metal known as Vicissium and begin alloying it with other metals making the legendary metals such as Adamantine and Mithril. Chiseler Dwarves that have arrived in Paclethea most likely to be involved with the Fleet Masons working to improve their mine designs and city planning efficiency. They rarely work with the other large guilds but can be found in membership of some of the smaller guilds that work as merchant or artisan guilds. Category:Race Category:Dwarf